fel
Shiny_Rock
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2011
- Messages
- 498
By popular request in another thread, I thought I would post my 10th anniversary ring story, which actually wasn't completed until we were married about 15 years, and now we are working on anniversary 28!
For our original engagement, we had a cute freeform bezeled diamond ring, that promptly didn't fit me as soon as I got pregnant (intentionally!) 5 months into marriage. After the baby and nursing, and the 2nd baby and nursing was finished, I realized that ring only fit me for a few months of the year -- in summer it was too tight, and in winter too loose. My husband, noticing I was not wearing any rings, arranged a surprise --to have a new wedding and engagement ring made for our 10th anniversary, by the same artist. When he announced this, I said I would love to have a new ring, but nothing is going to fit me year round the way my hands change size, so let's get a right-hand ring by a different artist, just to have something different.
About a year later I bought an untreated emerald from Africa gems -- my very first purchase of a colored gem! Yes that was my gateway stone! I was so nervous about it I immediately had it appraised on Jeweler's row. It was as I recall described as medium green, medium saturated and very lustrous. I loved the glowiness so I kept it. Actually, it looked rather light when unset, but set it just might be my very best colored gemstone to this day.
Then we searched for a setting for about 3 years... not really finding anything that was very exciting. Then one year we were in Bar Harbor on vacation and we went in the studio of an artist named Sam Shaw. He used this hand hammered technique that left metals very lustrous. So, we talked to him about possibly setting my emerald. I also noticed that he had a bunch of "cognac diamond" pieces that were quite beautiful. I had never seen brown diamonds before -- this was before you saw LeVian in every mall. So, I went home and designed a moi & toi for him to make, using my square emerald and his cognac diamond. In order to select a diamond, first he sent me pictures of them all, and we determined that for the design to work as I had imagined the diamond would need to be equal sized to the emerald. Then he kindly sent me all the brown diamonds 2 carats and above that he had in stock, and let me select which one I wanted. I chose the one that was the most orange, darkish one. I'd be curious if you all think I chose correctly...
The small ones were rejected as not being the right size.
That left these ones....
To be continued....
For our original engagement, we had a cute freeform bezeled diamond ring, that promptly didn't fit me as soon as I got pregnant (intentionally!) 5 months into marriage. After the baby and nursing, and the 2nd baby and nursing was finished, I realized that ring only fit me for a few months of the year -- in summer it was too tight, and in winter too loose. My husband, noticing I was not wearing any rings, arranged a surprise --to have a new wedding and engagement ring made for our 10th anniversary, by the same artist. When he announced this, I said I would love to have a new ring, but nothing is going to fit me year round the way my hands change size, so let's get a right-hand ring by a different artist, just to have something different.
About a year later I bought an untreated emerald from Africa gems -- my very first purchase of a colored gem! Yes that was my gateway stone! I was so nervous about it I immediately had it appraised on Jeweler's row. It was as I recall described as medium green, medium saturated and very lustrous. I loved the glowiness so I kept it. Actually, it looked rather light when unset, but set it just might be my very best colored gemstone to this day.
Then we searched for a setting for about 3 years... not really finding anything that was very exciting. Then one year we were in Bar Harbor on vacation and we went in the studio of an artist named Sam Shaw. He used this hand hammered technique that left metals very lustrous. So, we talked to him about possibly setting my emerald. I also noticed that he had a bunch of "cognac diamond" pieces that were quite beautiful. I had never seen brown diamonds before -- this was before you saw LeVian in every mall. So, I went home and designed a moi & toi for him to make, using my square emerald and his cognac diamond. In order to select a diamond, first he sent me pictures of them all, and we determined that for the design to work as I had imagined the diamond would need to be equal sized to the emerald. Then he kindly sent me all the brown diamonds 2 carats and above that he had in stock, and let me select which one I wanted. I chose the one that was the most orange, darkish one. I'd be curious if you all think I chose correctly...
The small ones were rejected as not being the right size.That left these ones....
To be continued....
Last edited:
You made the right call insisting on the thicker shank because it's much more balanced with the organic, artisanal feel of the hammered metal.
Thank you for sharing this beauty with us! The folks in the Colored Gems forum will go gaga over this!
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